Twitch removes PogChamp emote: ‘We can’t in good conscience continue to enable use of the image’

Earlier today, the US Capitol was overrun by rioters acting in support of President Trump’s baseless claims that the election of Joe Biden was fraudulent. As it happened, streamer HasanAbi‘s commentary on the mob became the top stream on Twitch.

The day isn’t over, and Twitch is relevant again: It has responded to a tweet from fighting game personality Ryan “Gootecks” Gutierrez by removing Twitch’s immensely popular PogChamp emote, which depicts his face.

In the tweet, Gutierrez called for “civil unrest” on behalf of a woman who was shot and killed by law enforcement inside the Capitol, referring to her as “the #MAGAMartyr.” Twitch viewed the statement as a call for further violence by the pro-Trump mob.

“We’ve made the decision to remove the PogChamp emote following statements from the face of the emote encouraging further violence after what took place in the Capitol today,” wrote Twitch. “We want the sentiment and use of Pog to live on—its meaning is much bigger than the person depicted or image itself—and it has a big place in Twitch culture. However, we can’t in good conscience continue to enable use of the image. We will work with the community to design a new emote for the most hype moments on Twitch.”

We will work with the community to design a new emote for the most hype moments on Twitch.January 7, 2021